Mayor Adams pivots on proposal to use vacant luxury building to house migrants

HARLEM, Manhattan (PIX11) -- Harlem has a well-documented relationship with renaissance and redevelopment.

But the proposed conversion of a long-vacant luxury apartment building on Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard into a shelter facility has longtime Harlem residents Tiffany Fulton and Ruth McDaniels questioning exactly who is being prioritized. They are also angry that their community wasn’t given more of a say in the decision-making process.

"It wasn't talked about! Honestly, Harlem is saturated with shelters. Shelters, rehab centers. We don't need any more," said Fulton.

The latest numbers from City Hall are driving the conversation. In total, 177,000 migrants have passed through New York City's care since the spring of 2022. As of Friday, more than 88,000 individuals are living in the city’s shelter system.

Mayor Eric Adams pivoted after hearing Harlem residents object to an initial plan to use the empty apartment building to house migrants; it’s now slated to become a transitional facility for families with children.

"People need more housing. There is no more housing!" Adams said.

It is a citywide issue. In nearby Community Board 9 in Manhattanville, Chairman Victor Edwards said he is aware of reported plans to convert another site into a family shelter.

He added that in light of the ongoing effects of gentrification and redevelopment, he would rather see more of a focus on making already scarce affordable housing more accessible.

"And often it's not for the people in the community. That doesn't bode well for our civil service workers a lot of times, people working in local stores, or McDonald's, or clothing stores. Where are they supposed to live? We often get the pushback 'not in my backyard.' I often say, 'Not everything in our backyard,'" said Edwards.

Because there are multiple city agencies involved in providing beds for "unhoused individuals," the city was not able to grant PIX11's request for a comprehensive citywide map showing a distribution of shelter facilities. PIX11 is still working on it, and the results could shed some light on concerns among residents in various communities who feel they are shouldering a heavier burden to house homeless New Yorkers and new incoming migrants.